Systems, methods, and computer products for providing podcasts via iptv

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer products for providing podcasts via Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) are disclosed herein. Exemplary embodiments include a network-based method for providing digital media podcasts. The method includes receiving a request to render at least one podcast on a communications device authenticated on an IPTV network, retrieving the at least one podcast from the IPTV network, and providing the at least one podcast to the communications device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/948,824 filed Nov. 30, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety. The co-pending application isassigned to the same assignee as this application, AT&T DelawareIntellectual Property, Inc. of Wilmington, Del.

BACKGROUND

Exemplary embodiments generally relate to telecommunications, and moreparticularly, to systems, methods, and computer products for providingpodcasts via Internet Protocol Television.

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is a digital television deliveryservice wherein a digital television signal is delivered to subscribers(and users of subscribers' devices) via a computer networkinfrastructure using the Internet Protocol. Typically, IPTV services arebundled with additional Internet services, such as Internet web accessand voice over Internet protocol (VOIP). Subscribers may receive IPTVservices via a computing device, such as a set-top box, that isconnected to a television or display device for the reception of anaudio/video signal. Used in conjunction with an IP-based platform, theset-top box allows for the subscribers to access IPTV based services andadditional services that are integrated within the IPTV platform.

IPTV service platforms allow for an increase in the interactive servicesthat may be provided to the subscribers. As such, the subscribers mayhave access to a wide variety of content that is available via the IPTVservice or the Internet. For example, a subscriber may utilizeinteractive services via a set-top box to view IPTV content or accesspersonal electronic messaging accounts via an Internet web browser. TheIPTV infrastructure may also allow the delivery of a variety ofaudio/video content instantly to the subscriber.

In conventional cable and satellite based television delivery systems,the subscriber is limited to receiving audio/video content either bypre-determined programming content, such as network television, and/orcable stations, such as HBO®. Subscribers may also receive music and/oraudio content through dedicated “music channels” and/or “news channels”.However, a subscriber may wish to receive content independent ofavailable dedicated channels. An example of such content includespodcasts. Podcasts may be digital media files containing contentdecipherable by a computer device. In conventional cable and satellitebased television delivery systems, there are no solutions for providingindividual digital media files to subscribers.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments include a network-based method for providingpodcasts. The method includes receiving a request to render at least onepodcast on a communications device authenticated on an IPTV network,retrieving the at least one podcast from the IPTV network, and providingthe at least one podcast to the communications device.

Additional exemplary embodiments include a system for providing podcaststo an Internet Protocol-enabled device. The system includes a computerprocessing device and a podcast providing application executing on thecomputer processing device. The podcast providing application includesreceiving a request to render at least one podcast on the InternetProtocol-enabled device, retrieving the at least one podcast from anIPTV network, and providing the at least one podcast to the InternetProtocol-enabled device. According to the system, the InternetProtocol-enabled device is authenticated on the IPTV network.

Further exemplary embodiments include a computer program product. Thecomputer program product includes a computer readable medium havinginstructions for causing a computer to implement a method. According toexemplary embodiments, the method includes receiving a request to renderat least one podcast on the Internet Protocol-enabled device, retrievingthe at least one podcast from an IPTV network, and providing the atleast one podcast to the Internet Protocol-enabled device. According toexemplary embodiments, the Internet Protocol-enabled device isauthenticated on the IPTV network.

Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according toexemplary embodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill inthe art upon review of the following drawings and detailed description.It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, and/orcomputer program products be included within this description, be withinthe scope of the exemplary embodiments, and be protected by the claimsset forth at the end of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alikein the several FIGURES:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a podcast providing system 100 inaccordance with exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart for a method of providing podcasts 200in accordance with exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart for a method of providing podcasts 300in accordance with exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen shot of an exemplary podcast providingsystem interface 400 in accordance with exemplary embodiments.

The detailed description explains the exemplary embodiments, togetherwith advantages and features, by way of example with reference to thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Detailed illustrative embodiments are discussed hereinafter. However,specific functional details disclosed herein are merely representativefor purposes of describing exemplary embodiments. Exemplary embodimentsmay, however, be embodied in many alternate forms and should not beconstrued as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.

Accordingly, while exemplary embodiments are capable of variousmodifications and alternative forms, particular embodiments are shown byway of examples in the drawings and will be described in detail herein.It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limitexemplary embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but to thecontrary, exemplary embodiments are to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of exemplaryembodiments. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout thedescription of the figures.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various steps or calculations, these steps orcalculations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are onlyused to distinguish one step or calculation from another. For example, afirst calculation could be termed a second calculation, and similarly, asecond step could be termed a first step, without departing from thescope of this disclosure. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,”“comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specifythe presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, thefunctions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures.For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be executedsubstantially concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

In exemplary embodiments, systems, methods, and computer programproducts provide a subscriber and users of subscriber devices access topodcasts, the terms “subscribers'” and “users” being usedinterchangeably in the description that follows. The podcasts may beaccessible with or without a fee payment by the subscriber. In exemplaryembodiments, the subscriber is provided an interface which allows forselection of a plurality of different podcasts available on an IPTVnetwork. The podcasts are selectable by the subscriber. If thesubscriber accesses the interface and selects a podcast, the podcast maybe streamed to the subscriber's location, for example, a set-top box, orbe made accessible to the subscriber. The subscriber may access anypodcast in the interface at any time. In exemplary embodiments, theinterface contains pointers which provide access to the podcasts forstreaming to the subscriber's set-top box. In other exemplaryembodiments, the podcasts may be stored temporarily on the subscriber'sdigital video recorder, such as in a cache or memory. In addition, thesubscriber may travel to another location that has access to the IPTVnetwork, and if the user provides the correct authenticationcredentials, the user is able to access the podcasts from that location.

Turning to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an exemplary podcast providingsystem 100 is illustrated. For ease of illustration, the system 100 ofFIG. 1 depicts a simplified network infrastructure. In addition, forease of illustration, the system 100 is described as implementing anInternet Protocol Television (IPTV) system for reception of programming,scheduling, and IPTV-based services. It is understood that the systemsand methods described herein may implement television andprogram-viewing systems other than IPTV. For example, the system 100 mayimplement cable, satellite, antenna, etc.

Furthermore, it is understood that a variety of network components/nodesmay be utilized in implementing the embodiments described herein. Forexample, in exemplary embodiments, the system 100 includes a means foraccessing network services for multiple disparate devices using a singlesign-on procedure. The means for accessing network services may includeone or more IPTV infrastructure(s) 140, IPTV gateways 145, and/or othersuitable components/nodes. Therefore, the system 100 manages accounts,each of which may be established for a community of devices and/ordevice subscribers, such as those devices and subscribers at asubscriber location 105, which may include a communications device 110(e.g., a display device or television) operatively connected to acomputing device 111, such as a set top box. Where the communicationsdevice 110 is a television, the set-top box 111 may include a processorthat provides bi-directional communications between the IPTVinfrastructure 140 and the communications device 110 and decodes thestreaming media received as content programming and onscreen programminginformation, from a content services provider system 160, discussedfurther below. Other services may be provided to the subscriber location105, such as, but not limited to, phone services, network services andother services such as providing podcasts that may be received at thecommunications device 110. The accounts may thus include phone, networkaccess, and IPTV services, and may be used to provide access to podcastsas described further herein. Furthermore, in exemplary embodiments, oneof the devices (e.g., the communications device 110) may be provisionedfor the network services described herein by associating a deviceidentifier of the communications device 110 with a respective account.The account, in turn, identifies each of the communications devicesbelonging to the community and provides other information as describedherein. Furthermore, it is appreciated that other devices, such as asubscriber computer 125, may be further included in the community ofdevices established for the subscriber location 105. It is appreciatedthat the subscriber computer 125 may be local to the subscriber location105 or may represent any other computer that may be used to access theservices described herein. It is further appreciated that other remotedevices may be implemented to access the services described herein suchas but not limited to a cellular telephone (e.g., a 3G cell phone), apersonal computer, a laptop computer, a portable computing device (e.g.,personal digital assistant), a digital music player (e.g., MP3 player),etc.

In exemplary embodiments, one of the devices, such as the communicationsdevice 110 (or the communication device 110 and set-top box 111combination) may be used to establish account services, such as receiptof podcasts. An account record may be generated for the subscriber atthe subscriber location 105, which identifies the subscriber and theaccount for which the services (e.g., basic account services asdescribed above) may be billed to and/or for which invoice or accountsummaries may be transmitted to. Account information and records may bestored in a storage device accessible by the IPTV gateway 145, discussedbelow. In exemplary embodiments, the IPTV gateway 145 implements one ormore applications for establishing and utilizing access to the account.Access to the account may thus be created for a community ofcommunications devices (e.g., the communications device 110) to enablethe communications devices to receive podcasts as described herein. Apreferences server 150, which is coupled to the IPTV gateway 145,includes preferences information for the subscriber location 105 asdescribed further herein.

As discussed above, the system 100 of FIG. 1 includes the subscriberlocation 105, such as the subscriber's household. The subscriberlocation 105 may include the communications device 110 (e.g., anIPTV-enabled television) in communication with the set-top box 111. Thesubscriber location 105 may further include a personal digital recorder,such as a digital video recorder (DVR) 112, which is in communicationwith the communication device 110 and the set-top box 111. It isunderstood that the set-top box 111 and the DVR 112 may be two separatedevices or be a single integrated device 114. In exemplary embodiments,the DVR 112 may be hard-disk based, but may alternatively have othersuitable storage media such as a cache or solid-state memory, or have ahard-disk and other storage medium combination. It is appreciated thatthe DVR 112 may have other suitable memory devices for receiving andstoring programming and scheduling data. Therefore, a “memory” or“recording medium” may be any means that contains, stores, communicates,propagates, or transports the program and/or data for use by or inconjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device.Memory and recording medium may be, but are not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus or device. Memory and recording mediumsalso include, but are not limited to, for example, the following: aportable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-onlymemory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flashmemory), and a portable compact disk read-only memory or anothersuitable medium upon which a program and/or data may be stored.

The subscriber location 105 may further include a remote control 115 forcontrol and navigation of the communications device 110, which may beused to select and view videos or receive podcasts on the communicationsdevice 110. As discussed above, the subscriber location 105 may furtherinclude one or more remote devices in its community of devices. Forexample, the remote devices in the community of devices may include thesubscriber computer 125. In exemplary embodiments, the subscribercomputer 125 may be part of the subscriber location 105 or a computerthat is accessed remotely in order to receive podcasts and control,manage, and/or schedule content from the content services providersystem 160 transmitted to the subscriber location 105 for rendering onthe communications device 110. It is therefore appreciated that accessto podcasts may be managed from locations remote to the subscriberlocation 105. It is understood by those skilled in the art that thesubscriber computer 125 may include input and output devices, such asbut not limited to a mouse, a keyboard, etc. As discussed further below,the aforementioned devices may all interact with the IPTV infrastructure140 and the IPTV gateway 145. It is appreciated that any of theaforementioned devices may access podcasts according to exemplaryembodiments. Furthermore, in exemplary embodiments, the communicationsdevices described herein may have a network address associated with thecommunications devices such as an addressable uniform resource locator(URL), an Internet address, etc.

In exemplary embodiments, the system 100 may manage and access podcaststhrough the subscriber's IPTV-enabled device, such as the communicationsdevice 110, via the set-top box 111, the remote devices (e.g., thesubscriber computer 125, etc.) or any other suitable devices. As such,to coordinate IPTV communication, the system 100 may further include theIPTV gateway 145 that is in communication with the IPTV infrastructure140. The IPTV infrastructure 140 and the IPTV gateway 145 are used inconjunction to communicate via a network 135. For example, a suitabledevice (e.g., the communications device 110) at the subscriber location105 may direct the IPTV infrastructure 140 and the IPTV gateway 145 tocommunicate with the content services provider system 160.

The network 135 may be an IP-based network for communication between acontent services provider system 160 and the subscriber location 105using communication devices such as but not limited to thecommunications device 110 (via the set-top box 111, for example). Thenetwork 135 may be implemented to transmit content from the contentservices provider system 160 to the subscriber location 105 via abroadband connection, for example. In exemplary embodiments, the network135 may be a managed IP network administered by a service provider. Thenetwork 135 may also be implemented in a wireless fashion, e.g., usingwireless protocols and technologies, such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, etc. Thenetwork 135 may also be a cellular communications network, a fixedwireless network, a wireless local area network (LAN), a wireless widearea network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), intranet,metropolitan area network, Internet network, the Internet, or othersimilar types of network environments or other suitable network systems.The network 135 includes equipment for receiving and transmittingsignals. In other exemplary embodiments, the network 135 may be acircuit-switched network such as a standard public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN), a packet-switched network, or any combination thereof.

In exemplary embodiments, the IPTV infrastructure 140 may be an IP-basednetwork that receives network data (e.g., podcasts) from the contentservices provider system 160 and the preferences server 150, anddelivers the network data to the set-top box 111 for receipt orrendering on the communications device 110. Alternatively, the networkdata may be for receipt or rendering on the subscriber computer 125 orother suitable device.

In exemplary embodiments, as discussed above, the IPTV infrastructure140 provides an interface between the subscriber location 105 and theIPTV gateway 145. In exemplary implementations, a terminal server 141,an application server 142, a media server 143, and a media contentserver 144 operate to interface communication between the subscriberlocation 105 via the set-top box 111, and the IPTV gateway 145. Forexample, in exemplary implementations, the set-top box 111 may provide aunique identification number so that the IPTV gateway 145 may routenetwork data to the set-top box 111. The network data may include apodcast, and may be routed to the set-top box 111 according to theoperations of the IPTV infrastructure 140 described below.

According to exemplary embodiments, the media content server 144 mayoperate to acquire podcasts and/or other similar content from thecontent services provider system 160. For example, the media contentserver 144 may search for podcasts or other similar content on thecontent services provider system 160. The media content server 144 maysearch for new or newly listed content, or simply search for allavailable content on the content services provider system 160. Uponsearching the content services provider system 160 for content, thecontent may be transmitted to the media content server 144 (e.g., overthe network 135 and/or the IPTV gateway 145). The media content server144 may ingest the content to create a podcast or content listing. Forexample, the media content server 144 may transcode content receivedfrom the content services provider system 160 into a format suitable forplayback/access on the IPTV infrastructure 140. Upon transcoding, or atsubstantially the same time as transcoding, the media content server 144may create a podcast or content listing and make the listing availableto the application server 142 and the media server 143. Further, theactual transcoded content or podcasts may be transferred to the mediaserver 143 for access/playback on the IPTV infrastructure 140.

It is noted that according to at least one exemplary embodiment,podcasts may be transcoded from any format (e.g., MP3 format, MPEGformat, or any other format) on the content services provider system 160to WINDOWS MEDIA AUDIO (WMA) format. WMA format is an audio datacompression technology developed by MICROSOFT, and WMA may be used torefer to a MICROSOFT audio file format or a MICROSOFT audio codec thatforms part of the WINDOWS MEDIA framework. Furthermore, according to atleast one exemplary embodiment, podcasts may be transcoded from anyavailable format (e.g., MP3 format, MPEG format, or any other format) onthe content services provider system 160 to WINDOWS MEDIA VIDEO (WMV)format. WMV format is an audio/video data compression technologydeveloped by MICROSOFT, and WMV may be used to refer to a MICROSOFTvideo file format or a MICROSOFT video codec which forms part of theWINDOWS MEDIA framework and may include audio/video information, such asaudio/video podcast audio information. Therefore, according to exemplaryembodiments, podcasts may be provided in audio form (e.g., audiopodcasts, mp3 files, etc) and video form (e.g., video podcasts, MPEGfiles, etc).

According to exemplary embodiments, the media server 143 may receivetranscoded podcasts or content from the media content server 144. Thetranscoded content may be in a format suitable for playback on acommunications device with access to the IPTV infrastructure 140 (e.g.,communications device 110/set-top box 111 and/or subscriber computer125). Furthermore, the application server 142 may receive a podcast orcontent listing from the media content server 144. The podcast orcontent listing may include a listing of all transcoded podcastsavailable for access/playback through the IPTV infrastructure 140.Further, the application server 142 may be operatively connected to theterminal server 141. Thus, the podcast or content listing may beavailable to the terminal server 141. The terminal server 141 may launchapplications on a set-top box (i.e., the set-top box 111) and maydisplay the podcast or content listing on the communications device 110through the set-top box 111. Further, a subscriber may select podcastsfrom the podcast or content listing for playback on the communicationsdevice 110. Moreover, podcasts selected by the subscriber may berendered on the set-top box 111 by the media server 143 for playback onthe communications device 110. Thus, according to exemplary embodiments,the system 100 provides podcasts to the subscriber via IPTV.

In exemplary embodiments, the IPTV gateway 145 may further interfacewith the various system 100 elements as described herein. For example,the IPTV gateway 145 is in communication with the preferences server 150to pass notifications and messages (e.g., email messages) regardingpermissions to create and edit podcast access information. For example,different members of the subscriber location 105 who share accountservices may have different access schedules. For example, one membermay have a unique access schedule and another member may have a secondunique access schedule with little to no overlap with the first accessschedule. As such, each member may retrieve and edit those differentschedules and be properly authenticated to retrieve and edit thoseschedules.

In exemplary embodiments, the IPTV gateway 145 may include a back end147 and a front end 146. The front end 146 may be used to implementvarious provisioning activities such as but not limited to initialprovisioning of IPTV addresses for the devices at the subscriberlocation 105. The back end 147 may be implemented for many of thepodcast providing services, such as communicating with the contentservices provider system 160, passing messages and notification to theIPTV gateway 145, etc. As such, the back end 147 may include variouselements (e.g., 148, 149) including but not limited to a caller IDhandler, Short Message Service (SMS) handler, message handler,provisioning handler, etc. It is noted, however, that more or lesselements may be included depending upon any particular implementation.Therefore, exemplary embodiments should not be limited by the particularnumber of elements (i.e., 148, 149) illustrated.

In exemplary embodiments, the IPTV gateway 145 may implementauthentication using a high-speed processing device (e.g., a computersystem) that is capable of handling high volume activities conducted viacommunications devices, and other network entities (e.g., parts of theIPTV infrastructure 140, network 135, etc.) via one or more networks(e.g., an IPTV infrastructure 140). The IPTV gateway 145 receivesrequests from one or more devices from the subscriber location 105 toaccess network services, such as podcasts. The IPTV gateway 145 mayimplement authentication software for restricting or controlling accessto network. The IPTV gateway 145 may be in communication with a customeridentity system (CIS) database, which stores subscriber credentials(e.g., subscriber names and passwords) for access to IPTV services.

In exemplary embodiments, as discussed above, the system 100 furtherincludes the content services provider system 160, which is incommunication with the IPTV gateway 145 via the network 135. Inexemplary embodiments, the content services provider system 160 isimplemented by a host system (e.g., a high-speed processing device) thatprovides content to its subscribers (e.g., a subscriber of thecommunications device 110), such as television programs, premiumprogramming services, video on demand content, and Internet/Web content(e.g., podcasts, streaming media, etc.). In exemplary embodiments, thecontent is transmitted to the subscribers (e.g., at the subscriberlocation 105) via a broadband connection over an Internet Protocol(IP)-based network (e.g., the network 135). The content servicesprovider system 160 may also provide an onscreen programming guide tosubscribers that provides information about current and futureprogramming available via the content providers' services, such aspodcasts that are to be available in the future. Programming informationprovided by the onscreen programming guide may include current andfuture program listings including but not limited to program titles,program producers, begin time, duration of program, a date in which theprogram was produced, and a brief text description of the program.

In exemplary embodiments, the content services provider system 160 iscoupled to a database 165, which may include podcasts. In addition, thedatabase 165 may include one or more playlists for available podcasts.Such playlist(s) may be used by the media content server 144 to searchfor podcasts or content. In exemplary embodiments, access to thedatabase 165 and the associated communication between the database 165and the media content server 144 may be implemented by exemplary methodsdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart for a method of providing podcasts 200in accordance with exemplary embodiments. As discussed above, asubscriber may interact with a communications device (e.g., thecommunications device 110) and select podcasts and other content toaccess. In step 201, a request to render at least one podcast may bereceived (e.g., audio/video podcast). The request may be received by aset-top box from a subscriber issuing a selection on a communicationsdevice, for example, the set-top box 111 and the communications device110 discussed above. Furthermore, the request may be received by an IPTVinfrastructure from a set-top box or remote station (e.g., thesubscriber's computer 125, set-top box 111, IPTV infrastructure 140).The request to render the podcast(s) may be a request to renderpodcast(s) available to the IPTV infrastructure 140. The podcast(s) maybe stored in a format decipherable by the IPTV network, and may berendered on a communications device.

Further illustrated in FIG. 2, upon receipt of a request to render atleast one podcast, step 202 includes retrieving the podcast(s) torender. For example, the IPTV infrastructure 140 may retrieve thepodcast(s) from a storage device located therein. The storage device maybe included within a media server (e.g., the media server 143). Thepodcast(s) may be retrieved from the media server 143 and madeaccessible to the set-top box 111. For example, as set forth in step203, the podcast(s) is provided to the set-top box 111. Additionally,the podcast(s) may be streamed to the set-top box 111 as streamingaudio/video from the media server 143. Upon receipt of the podcast(s) orstreaming audio/video of the podcast(s), the set-top box 111 may renderthe podcast(s) on the communications device 110. Alternatively, thepodcast(s) may be rendered on a remote computer (e.g., the subscribercomputer 125) or other communications device. Hereinafter, a method ofproviding podcasts is described with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart for a method of providing podcasts 300in accordance with exemplary embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 3, themethod 300 includes searching for podcasts at step 301. For example, amedia content server of an IPTV infrastructure may search a contentservices provider system for podcasts and/or other content. The mediacontent server may be substantially similar to the media content server144 of FIG. 1. The IPTV infrastructure may be substantially similar toIPTV infrastructure 140 of FIG. 1. Furthermore, the content servicesprovider system may be substantially similar to content servicesprovider system 160 of FIG. 1. It is further noted that the contentservices provider system 160 may be remote to the IPTV infrastructure140, may communicate with the media content server 144 over a network,and may provide a listing or playlist of available content to the mediacontent server. Therefore, the media content server 144 may searchthrough the listing of available content to locate podcasts.

The method 300 further includes downloading podcasts at step 302. Asdiscussed above, the media content server 144 may communicate with thecontent services provider system 160 over a network connection. Thus,the media content server 144, having identified podcasts available onthe content services provider system 160, may download any podcastavailable on the content services provider system. The media contentserver 144 may download newly listed podcasts, most recently updatedpodcasts, podcasts of a particular type or category, all podcasts, oronly podcasts selected by subscribers of an IPTV system including theIPTV infrastructure 140. For example, subscribers of the IPTV system mayselect podcasts they wish to access over a communications device (e.g.,the communications device 110 or subscriber computer 125). The IPTVinfrastructure 140 may thus download podcasts selected by thesubscribers. Alternatively, the IPTV infrastructure 140 may download allpodcasts or a sub-set of podcasts depending upon implementation. Asexhaustive description of all possible combinations of downloadimplementations is not the purpose of this disclosure, all suchimplementations are considered to be included within the scope ofexemplary embodiments.

Turning back to FIG. 3, the method 300 further includes transcodingpodcasts at step 303. For example, the media content server 144 maytranscode content received from the content services provider system 160into a format suitable for playback/access on the IPTV infrastructure.It is noted that according to at least one example embodiment, podcastsare transcoded from any format on the content services provider system160 to WINDOWS MEDIA AUDIO (WMA) format. Furthermore, according to atleast one exemplary embodiment, podcasts are transcoded from anyavailable format on the content services provider system 160 to WINDOWSMEDIA VIDEO (WMV) format. Therefore, according to exemplary embodiments,podcasts may be provided in audio form (e.g., audio podcasts, mp3 files,etc) and video form (e.g., video podcasts, MPEG files, etc).

Turning back to FIG. 3, the method 300 further includes updating apodcast listing at step 304. For example, upon transcoding, or atsubstantially the same time as transcoding, the media content server 144may create a podcast or content listing and make the listing availableto an application server (e.g., the application server 142) and a mediaserver (e.g., the media server 143). Further, the actual transcodedcontent or podcasts may be transferred to the media server 143 foraccess/playback on the IPTV infrastructure 140.

The method 300 further includes providing podcasts to an application atstep 305. For example, a terminal server (e.g., the terminal server 141)of the IPTV infrastructure 140 may launch an application on a set-topbox, such as the set-top box 111, or communications device, such as thecommunications device 110, of the subscriber. The application mayinclude an interface or graphical user interface the subscriber caninteract with. The application may include the methodologies disclosedherein, and thus may be a podcast providing application. The interfacemay be rendered on a communications device such as the communicationsdevice 110 of FIG. 1, and may be accessed through buttons or controls onthe set-top box 111, or through a remote control (e.g., the remotecontrol 115). The subscriber may use the interface to select a podcastto access. Alternatively, the subscriber may utilize a remotecommunications device, such as a PDA, portable music player, or otherdevice to select a podcast. Further, a media server (e.g., the mediaserver 143) of the IPTV infrastructure 140 may include a podcastselected by the subscriber. The media server 143 may thus provide thepodcast to the subscriber, either by way of streaming audio/video to theapplication, or by any other means, including but not limited to,streaming to portable or remote communications device, downloading tothe set-top box 111 and rendering on the communications device 110, orother similar means.

Therefore, as described above, exemplary embodiments include methods ofproviding podcasts via IPTV. The methods may include receiving requeststo render at least one podcast, retrieving at least one podcast, andproviding at least one podcast. The methods may further includesearching for podcasts, downloading podcasts, transcoding podcasts,updating listing of available podcasts, and providing podcasts. It isnoted that although exemplary embodiments of the present invention havebeen shown and described with regard to certain operations (e.g., methodsteps 201-203 of FIG. 2, and method steps 301-305 of FIG. 3) beingperformed serially or consecutively, it will be understood that anycombination of these operations may be performed simultaneously and inparallel.

It is further noted that the methods above may be implemented by anpodcast providing system similar to, or substantially similar to, system100 of FIG. 1. However, exemplary embodiments should not be limited toonly systems implemented with the particular components and/orconnections depicted therein. For example, various components and/orconnections may be included or not included for implementation ofmethods according to exemplary embodiments. Hereinafter, a screen shotof an exemplary podcast providing system interface is described withreference to FIG. 4.

Turning to FIG. 4, the screen shot 400 of an exemplary podcast providingsystem interface, which may be accessed and displayed on acommunications device (e.g., the communications device 110), or any ofthe other subscriber devices at a subscriber location is illustrated. Asdescribed above, the subscriber may select podcasts from a listingprovided by the application launched by the IPTV infrastructure (e.g.,the terminal server 141 of the IPTV infrastructure 140). In exemplaryembodiments, the listing may be stored locally on the set-top box 111 oron the IPTV infrastructure 140, and be locally accessed to populate alistings field 405 on the interface 400. The listing may be periodicallyupdated by an application server of the IPTV infrastructure 140 (e.g.,the application server 142). In exemplary embodiments, the subscribermay search through the listing via a search field (not illustrated) orthrough scrolling manually through the listing. It is appreciated thatthere are various search methods known in the art that may beimplemented for the search field. Furthermore, it is appreciated thatscroll buttons may be included in the interface, or on the remotecontrol 115 of the set-top box 111. The user may use a select key on theremote control 115 or a play button on the remote control to requestrendering of the podcast or access to the podcast. It is appreciatedthat the subscriber may navigate the interface with the remote control115 if the interface is displayed on the communications device 110.Alternatively, the subscriber may navigate the interface using a remotecommunications device such as a PDA, cell phone, etc. The subscriber maynavigate through alternate listings of podcasts using display portion415 (i.e., only music podcasts, news podcasts, etc), or through acomplete listings of all podcasts available. Furthermore, the interface400 may include a podcast information portion in the listing field 405(see a portion 425) which includes information relating to individualpodcasts. It is appreciated that the podcast information portion maydisplay relevant information of all podcasts simultaneously, or maydisplay information of a presently selected podcast. Furthermore, theinformation displayed for a podcast may include information frommeta-data stored within the digital media file containing the podcast orinformation provided by a content services provider system. Theinformation may include date of release, artist or author, content, etc.

The interface 400 may be rendered on a communications device (e.g., thecommunications device 110) of the IPTV infrastructure 140.Alternatively, the interface 400 may be included on a web-page remotelyaccessible using a remote communications device as noted above. Theweb-page may be provided by a server within the IPTV infrastructure 140,or a remote server used for web-serving to remote communicationsdevices. The remote communications devices may be associated with thesubscriber's account and/or location as discussed with reference to FIG.1 above.

As described herein, exemplary embodiments of the present invention maybe implemented, in software, for example, as any suitable computerprogram. For example, a program in accordance with one or more exemplaryembodiments of the present invention may be a computer program productcausing a computer to execute one or more of the example methodsdescribed herein directly on a host processor.

The computer program product may include a computer-readable mediumhaving computer program logic or code portions embodied thereon forenabling a processor of the apparatus to perform one or more functionsin accordance with one or more of the example methodologies describedabove. The computer program logic may thus cause the processor toperform one or more of the example methodologies, or one or morefunctions of a given methodology described herein.

The computer-readable storage medium may be a built-in medium installedinside a computer main body or removable medium arranged so that it canbe separated from the computer main body. Examples of the built-inmedium include, but are not limited to, rewriteable non-volatilememories, such as RAMs, ROMs, flash memories, and hard disks. Examplesof a removable medium may include, but are not limited to, opticalstorage media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical storage mediasuch as MOs; magnetism storage media such as floppy disks (trademark),cassette tapes, and removable hard disks; media with a built-inrewriteable non-volatile memory such as memory cards; and media with abuilt-in ROM, such as ROM cassettes.

These programs may also be provided in the form of an externallysupplied propagated signal and/or a computer data signal (e.g., wirelessor terrestrial) embodied in a carrier wave. The computer data signalembodying one or more instructions or functions of an examplemethodology may be carried on a carrier wave for transmission and/orreception by an entity that executes the instructions or functions ofthe example methodology. For example, the functions or instructions ofthe example embodiments may be implemented by processing one or morecode segments of the carrier wave, for example, in a computer, whereinstructions or functions may be executed directly on a host processor,in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Thecarrier wave may be propagated over copper wire waveguides (e.g., coaxor other cabling), optical waveguides (e.g., optical fiber), and may beimplemented using any available protocol for carrier wave propagation.For example, in fiber-optic implementations, a fiber to the node (FTTN)or fiber to the premises (FTTP) implementation may be suitable. Forexample, in copper wire implementations, the carrier wave may bepropagated through a digital cable infrastructure. Additionally,combinations of these examples may be used, such as a hybrid approach orHybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) implementations.

Further, such programs, when recorded on computer-readable storagemedia, may be readily stored and distributed. The storage medium, as itis read by a computer, may enable the methodologies described hereindirectly on a host processor, in accordance with the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention being thus described, itwill be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. For example,the methods according to example embodiments of the present inventionmay be implemented in hardware and/or software. The hardware/softwareimplementations may include a combination of processor(s) and article(s)of manufacture. The article(s) of manufacture may further includestorage media and executable computer program(s), for example, acomputer program product stored on a computer readable medium.

The executable computer program(s) may include the instructions toperform the described operations or functions. The computer executableprogram(s) may also be provided as part of externally suppliedpropagated signal(s). Such variations are not to be regarded asdeparture from the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to oneskilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of thefollowing claims.

1. A network-based method for providing podcasts, the method comprising:receiving a request to render at least one podcast on a communicationsdevice authenticated on an Internet Protocol television (IPTV) network;retrieving the at least one podcast from the IPTV network; and providingthe at least one podcast to the communications device.
 2. The method asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising initiating an encoding session totranslate the at least one podcast for reception on the communicationsdevice.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least onepodcast is in MOVING PICTURE EXPERTS GROUP format.
 4. The method asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one podcast is encoded to aWINDOWS MEDIA format.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein thecommunications device is an Internet Protocol-enabled television.
 6. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one podcast isprovided to a communications device address of the communicationsdevice.
 7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the communicationsdevice address includes at least one of a uniform resource locator andan Internet address.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein thecommunications device includes a set-top box.
 9. A system for providingpodcasts to an Internet Protocol-enabled device, the system comprising:a computer processing device; and a podcast providing applicationexecuting on the computer processing device, the podcast providingapplication including: receiving a request to render at least onepodcast on the Internet Protocol-enabled device, wherein the InternetProtocol-enabled device is authenticated on an Internet Protocoltelevision (IPTV) network, retrieving the at least one podcast from theIPTV network, and providing the at least one podcast to the InternetProtocol-enabled device.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the podcastproviding application further includes initiating an encoding session totranslate the at least one podcast for reception on the communicationsdevice
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one podcast isencoded to a WINDOWS MEDIA format.
 12. The system of claim 9, whereinthe Internet Protocol-enabled device is an Internet Protocol-enabledtelevision.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one podcastis provided to a communications device address of the InternetProtocol-enabled device.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein thecommunications device address includes at least one of a uniformresource locator and an Internet address.
 15. The system of claim 9,wherein the Internet Protocol-enabled device includes a set-top box. 16.A computer program product for providing podcasts to an InternetProtocol-enabled device, the computer program product including acomputer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer toimplement a method, the method comprising: receiving a request to renderat least one podcast on the Internet Protocol-enabled device, whereinthe Internet Protocol-enabled device is authenticated on an InternetProtocol television (IPTV) network; retrieving the at least one podcastfrom the IPTV network; and providing the at least one podcast to theInternet Protocol-enabled device.
 17. The computer program product asclaimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one podcast is encoded to aWINDOWS MEDIA format.
 18. The computer program product as claimed inclaim 16, wherein the Internet Protocol-enabled device is an InternetProtocol-enabled television.
 19. The computer program product as claimedin claim 16, wherein the at least one podcast is provided to acommunications device address of the Internet Protocol-enabled device.20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16, wherein theInternet Protocol-enabled device includes a set-top box.